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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22931635">Ready?</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/hopeofnyan/pseuds/hopeofnyan'>hopeofnyan</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Undertale (Video Game)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, Asgore reflects on his life choices, Asgore's perspective, Asriel and Chara are mentioned, Blue Soul (Undertale) - Freeform, Flashback, Gen, Male Frisk (Undertale), One Shot, POV Third Person, Regret, So are the other fallen humans, Underground, this is just exploring his outlook, to be clear this is not villifying him</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-02-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-02-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 07:13:28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>640</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22931635</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/hopeofnyan/pseuds/hopeofnyan</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>As Frisk reaches the penultimate moments of his journey through the Underground, King Asgore's soul feels the heavy weight of his sins. This is an exploration of Asgore's perspective preceding his fight with Frisk.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Asgore Dreemurr &amp; Frisk</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>11</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Ready?</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>If only he could have continued his peaceful humming. If only he could have continued his meticulous gardening. If only he could have held his temper and never been the cause of six deaths. Eight, actually, since he had failed his own children as a father.</p><p>
  <em>The first human Asgore had stolen a soul from had been escorted to the courtyard preceding the throne room by Gerson, the captain of the Royal Guard at that time. Blood coated the right side of her face, a sling held her right arm, and a weary expression rested on her face. Her feet were bare and bloodied. A jacket that was too big for her hung on her shoulders, cloaking a torn pink costume of some sort. She was only a child.<br/>
</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Is it you who made the law to hurt people like me?" she asked, defiance in her voice.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Yes," he replied solemnly. He had made the law in an outburst of wrath towards the people who had mercilessly murdered his son, anticipating that some of the same ones might enter the Underground. This girl, though, was innocent and deserved none of the consequences he had forced upon any and all humans to fall into the monsters' realm.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I need to get to my brother," the girl stated. "Give me a fair fight, and if I win, let me go home to him."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Very well," Asgore said.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Gerson gave him a significant look. "Remember your promise," he told him quietly, then walked out of the courtyard.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>The king of all monsters faced the first key to his people's freedom with steely resolve in his eyes as she trembled in fear.</em>
</p><p>The human of present day stared at Asgore, his face wearing a slight frown. The king stared back, frozen in place and in time.</p><p>"I so badly want to say, "would you like a cup of tea?" But...you know how it is," Asgore said quietly.</p><p>He shuffled to the side, taking his time to reach the nearest window and glance away from reality. This human, standing in the patch of light, reminded him so much of his adopted human child. They both wore similar clothes, had similar hairstyles, and stayed in the same spot Asgore used to play ball games with his children so many years prior to now. Asgore wondered if he would get along with Asriel as well as Chara did. It was difficult to discern much about the child - he did not speak, he did not respond, and his facial expression had morphed into one of neutrality.</p><p>“Nice day today, huh?”</p><p>
  <em>I cannot do this. I must do this. I...I...</em>
</p><p>The king began rambling, procrastinating the inevitable. He mumbled about birds and flowers and playing catch; the first things that came to mind. A poor excuse of a metaphor comparing their unavoidable fight to the death to a trip to the dentist tumbled out of Asgore’s mouth.<br/>
What was he saying? Why was he attempting to comfort this person with a pathetic euphemism when he was about to slaughter the child? He had sworn to give his people hope. But how could he bear to take yet another child's life? Regardless of how close he was to acquiring seven human souls, Asgore was fraught with guilt and pain. He would have preferred his soul to be broken than to fulfill his duty. But as the two people strolled into the gray corridor preceding the Barrier, the faces of his people flashed before him. The poorly disguised fatigue derived from constantly feigning happiness lest they fall into utter despair, the innocent hope of the young, and the uproar of solidarity as he had raged against humanity all those years ago...these plagued his people. And he was more loyal to them than his heavy, heavy, heavy soul.</p><p>"Ready?"</p>
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